Introducing Our Top 3

We are happy to announce our Top 3 who will be competing for the coveted title of NAILS Next Top Nail Artist.

Throughout our 10-week competition, we saw so much creativity and skill. We were wowed and surprised week after week with the talent of these contestants. But sadly, someone had to be eliminated each week. We were left with two techs standing: Danielle Costantino and Lexi Martone. Click through to find out who will be joining them.

In a new surprise twist, our eliminated contestants were given one “Last Chance” to stay in the competition. CND’s Last Chance Design Lab pitted eliminated contestants in a one-on-one battle to see who would come out on top. Ultimately, Lavette Cephus was the last woman standing in our elimination bracket. So we’re happy to welcome her as the third and final competitor who will be coming to Long Beach, Calif., in January to compete for the title.

Hailing from Cranston, R.I., Danielle works at Gina Silvestro’s salon Gel Essentialz. She’s the newbie of the bunch, having only been doing nails for about three years. Before the competition, she was primarily a gel and gel-polish only nail tech, but she’s showed solid skills in all mediums throughout the weekly challenges. Danielle was in the top three in five of the 10 weekly challenges, and secured her one win during Entity Beauty’s Celebrating 10 Years anniversary-themed challenge. With 35,000+ Instagram followers, it’s no wonder she excelled in social media votes.

A nail tech for the last seven years, Lavette owns her own business, Beautè Asylum, in Toledo, Ohio. She came into the competition well versed in a variety of mediums, but focused more on acrylic and handpainting. She quickly added gel to her bag of tricks. A top three contender for three of our weekly challenges, Lavette won the Gelish Pay It Forward charity-themed challenge. Eliminated in Week 9, Lavette went on to beat out Lauren Boyd and Simone Gilbert in CND’s Last Chance Design Lab. With almost 4,000 Instagram followers, she’s actually the underdog when it comes to social media reach.

Lexi Martone is no stranger to NAILS Next Top Nail Artist. A Top 12 competitor in last year’s competition, she was eliminated in Week 7 on a Halloween nail she’ll probably never forget. She’s only been doing nails professionally for a little more than two years but that didn’t keep her from being in our top three in the weekly challenges eight times, winning a record five weeks. (Lexi won Orly’s LA Manicure, INM’s International Nails, Dashing Diva’s Bejeweled, and SuperNail’s Super Heroes & Villains challenges.) Known for her precision in both hand painting and sculpting, Lexi is a force to be reckoned with with nearly 34,000 Instagram followers. She operates a nail studio in Dix Hills, N.Y.

Help us congratulate these three awesome nail techs and we hope to see you all in California in January.